Pine’s Cassidy Ashe threw a no-hitter and the Lady Raiders scored in every inning and defeated Bogalusa, 16-0, in four innings, during a game that took place Thursday at the Bogalusa Sports Complex.
In the circle, Ashe struck out eight, hit a batter and did not walk anybody. Pine allowed just two base runners. Kennedy Robertson was hit and Dyamon May reached on catcher’s interference.
At the plate, Ashe drove in a run and scored a run.
The Lady Raiders posted 13 runs over the first two innings.
Ashe opened the five-run first inning by reaching when she got hit by a pitch. Ashe stole second base and scored from second on a hit-and-run when Caitlyn Polk recorded an RBI groundout to make it a 1-0 game.
Morgan Grace, who posted a hit and tallied two runs, reached on an error and later scored on a wild pitch. Walks to Savannah Kennedy, Sydney Thomas, Makia Clark and Elizabeth Barber plated Kennedy with the third run as Barber picked up the RBI. After the second out, Kiyasha Clark, who had a hit, two RBIs and a walk, drove home Thomas and Clark and Pine led 5-0 after the first.
The Lady Raiders added eight more runs in the second.
Polk, who posted two hits and three runs, began the inning with a walk and later tallied on a wild pitch for a 6-0 advantage. After the first out, Kennedy, who drew two walks and scored two runs, walked before Thomas singled. Both players scored when Makia Clark hit a three-run inside-the-park homer to left center field for a 9-0 game.
Clark posted a hit, the homer, four RBIs and she scored three runs. Barber, who walked twice and scored a run, re-started the rally with a walk and she later tallied on a wild pitch for a 10-0 lead. Kelsey Jenkins, who drew a walk and scored, walked, as did Kiysha Clark. With runners on second and third, Ashe hit a grounder and reached on a throwing error. Jenkins would likely have scored anyway, but Clark tallied on the miscue to make it 12-0.
The final run scored when Polk struck out, but reached on a wild pitch and later scored on single by Grace for a 13-0 lead through two.
“We’ve been playing pretty well this year. We’re hitting the ball a lot better than we did last year, our pitching is coming around, so I’m pleased so far. We’re young. We’ve just got to keep getting better,” Pine coach Mary McGinnis said.
Pine went up 14-0 in the third. Makia Clark walked. She scored on a third-strike wild pitch, followed by a throwing error that allowed her to score.
The final two runs were in the fourth. Polk singled and Grace reached on an error. Polk scored on a wild pitch while Grace tallied on an RBI fielder’s choice by Makia Clark that forced a runner at third.
Ashe retired Bogalusa in order in the fourth in the 16-0 final.
Bogalusa coach Carlos Howard said his team played hard.
“Pine just has more experience than we have right now,” he said. “We’ve been trying to practice for the last three weeks. We maybe got in four or five days because of the rain, but we’re not going to make any excuses about it.
“The girls played hard. We’ve got to make routine plays in the infield. Most of my best players are in the infield. I’ve got three seniors in the infield, so when I called that timeout, that’s when I was talking to them like, ‘we’ve got to make the easy plays when we’ve got pitcher that’s never been on the mound before. When she can put the ball up there, we’ve got to make the easy plays.”
Thomas posted a hit, a walk and she scored two runs.
Earlier in the week, Pine came up short against Loranger, 5-4, on the road Monday.
Makia Clark posted two hits and an RBI. Grace and Barber had a hit and an RBI each.
Ashe posted a hit for the Lady Raiders.
On Tuesday, Pine lost to St. Scholastica Academy, 19-8, at home.
Ashe recorded three hits and an RBI.
Makia Clark and Barber posted two hits and an RBI. Polk tallied two hits.
Kennedy had a hit and two RBIs, while Thomas had a hit and an RBI.